I have to
admit, I feel my heart break ever so slightly every time I see news of the
Gilas boys being defeated. I’ve been a close follower and ardent supporter of
the Philippine NT ever since I first watched the San Miguel-centric, Norman
Black-coached, National Team lose a close one to the hometown Japanese in the
bronze medal game of the 1994 Asian Games.

Now, nearly
20 years later, each loss still stings with the same poignancy.

On the
flipside, however, is the fact that each setback also brings with it some
lessons the team can use to get better. What follows are reposts of
well-written articles by my fellow writer, Mr. Jude Roque, from Yahoo! Philippines. These posts detail the painful learnings our Gilas boys learned
from their last two losses in the 2013 Dubai International Basketball tourney.

Kevin Alas drives to the hole against a superiorJordanian squad.(image by Herbert Iponla/Yahoo!)

Al-Ahli Club (UAE) over
SMART-Gilas Pilpinas, 97-82

No less than
Smart Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes was the first to see the brighter
side of the young national team’s defeat 82-97 loss to home team Al-Ahli Club
last Saturday here at the 24th Dubai International Basketball Championship.

“We can
learn a lot from this loss, which will help us in the more important games,”
said Reyes, who mysteriously lost his voice during the first quarter of the
game. He had to write some key instructions on the coaching board during timeouts.
After an inspiring 79-77 victory over the third best club team in Lebanon,
Mouttahed Tripoli, the national squad composed of mostly amateur standouts, got
its baptism of fire in international competition when it faced a very
aggressive Emirates team. Al-Ahli won the Dubai Club Championship and is beefed
up by American imports Cheikh Samb, Leroy Hurd and Leemire Goldwire.

This was the
first time Gilas II played against a home team even when the venue was filled
with cheering Pinoys.

Right from
the get-go, Al Ahli surprised the young nationals with a pesky full-court press
that resulted in 11 turnovers for Gilas in the first period alone. Al Ahli was
up 26-18 after the first ten minutes. It was the first time that this team,
which was assembled in less than two months, encountered a pressing team.
Before the Dubai trip, the team only had a couple of tune-up games versus the
visiting KL Dragons from Malaysia.

The trend
continued in the second canto as Al Ahli went to its switching defense and
aggressively denied all passing lanes. This too was a first time for the Gilas
cadet team. Even PBA reinforcements KG Canaleta, Ronjay Buenafe and JayR Reyes,
and naturalized import Marcus Douthit, struggled against the pesky defense of
their opponents. The first half ended with the home team up, 51-32.

In the third
period, Gilas went inside after going 4 out of 16 from beyond the arc in the
first half. Douthit, Greg Slaughter and Canaleta were able to get some inside
points to bridge the gap a little bit in the middle of the third. But 7’2” Al
Ahli import Samb was an imposing figure in the middle, igniting several fast
break opportunities for Al Ahli.

In the
payoff quarter, Gilas went to its running game and tried to stage a late
comeback, but Hurd and Goldwire would repeatedly quell the Philippines’ rally
with hard-earned baskets. There were also some bum calls made by the referees
against the visiting squad especially during the attempted comeback.

In the end,
Gilas committed 24 turnovers that accounted for 24 points for Al Ahli. The
victors also had 15 steals.

Gilas will
still enter the quarterfinals despite the loss, and can possibly even top Group
B if it defeats Al Riyadi of Jordan tonight. Mouttahed, the team Gilas beat
last Friday, won over Al Riyadi Sunday, 81-76. Al Ahli lost to Al Riyadi on
opening day.

Here are
some valuable lessons from the loss to Al Ahli:

Playing under the spotlight. It seems
that the newly formed cadet team succumbs to game jitters in the early goings
especially when greeted by the loud and cheering crowd upon entering the court.
In the Mouttahed game, Gilas fell behind, 3-18, in the opening period before
catching fire in the second quarter to take a 41-40 lead. It was similar in the
Al Ahli game except that Gilas turned over the ball too many times to catch its
opponents. But this is understandable in the first few games. They should be
able to handle this better in the next game.

Playing on hostile grounds. It was not
really a home advantage for Al Ahli in terms of crowd support. In fact, it was
the exact opposite. Filipinos make up the biggest crowd in this annual joust,
which is why the Philippines gets invited regularly. But the unfamiliarity with
the gym and the international game has its effects on the team. The officiating
is different here from the PBA, D-League, and collegiate leagues in Manila even
when they are all guided by the FIBA rules. Here, the officials are not
intimidated by the players and coaches whom they see for the first time.

Playing against bigger opponents. In
most cases, the Philippines will be the smaller team against teams from East
and West Asia. Here in this tournament, the size disadvantage is further
enhanced with the presence of towering imports like Samb. Al Riyadi of Lebanon
likewise has 7’2” import Lauren Woods. Domestic players, especially from
Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar and Iran, are not only tall, but hefty as well. Quickness,
however, should be our advantage.

Playing everyday. In international
competitions, games are played daily. These are usually short tournaments that
last for a week, or two at most. This means that the team must get accustomed
to playing everyday while still having the morning shoot-around and practice.
Playing for flag and country is a tough job that allows very little rest.

But having
stayed with this batch of Gilas for five days now, I have no doubt that the
bitter taste of the defeat to Al Ahli will only make them stronger and more
prepared for the coming crucial games.

Coach Chot Reyes continues to make the most outof the dire situation his team is in.(image by Herbert Iponla/Yahoo!)

Al-Riyadi Sporting Aramex
(Jordan) over SMART-Gilas Pilipinas, 75-65

The Smart-Gilas
Pilipinas cadet team suffered a second straight loss in the 24th Dubai
International Basketball Championship at the Al Ahli gym in Dubai Monday, this
time at the hands of Al Riyadi Jordan, 65-75.

The younger
and smaller Philippine team fought gallantly throughout the game and had
several chances to overtake the Jordanian club team in the game. But the
dynamic duo of American imports Alpha Bangura and Darrin Dorsey proved too much
for Gilas, which fell to third spot in Group B. Bangura, a former PBA import
from Air 21, scattered 14 of his game-high 31 markers in the payoff period,
dousing the attempted rally of Gilas late in the game.

But the
Nationals are still in contention for the championship as they enter the
quarterfinals versus the No. 1 club team in Lebanon – Dubai Duty Free Al Riyadi
Beirut, at 7:00 p.m. Dubai time.

Letran star
Kevin Alas led Gilas in scoring with 12 points, followed by Matt Ganuelas with
11, Garvo Lanete with 10, and Marcus Douthit and Ronjay Buenafe with six
apiece.

Riyadi led
by as many as 15 points, at 59-44, in the fourth quarter. Gilas made a last
ditch effort to make a comeback in the last five minutes of play and came to
within six points, at 57-63, on four straight free throws by Douthit. But the
Jordanians countered with a 6-0 blast to secure the win.

All teams
will have a rest day today as the quarterfinals start on Wednesday at the Al
Ahli gym.

Coach Chot
Reyes met the team in his hotel room an hour after the game and talked about
how each player should find the drive to uplift his game. The team will have a
field trip to the desert safari later today as a team-building activity.”